Old Frankenfivvers Never Die, They Just....

[VFR-To-FJR]

... Well, where do they go?

I'm developing a budget and identifying parts to build a Faux 45 and wondered what happens to highly modified VFRs after the creator no longer has need for them.

Is there a market for them?

I haven't seen one for sale (but I haven't really looked for one either.)

Clearly, a custom build should be a labor of love and is not done to 'make a profit'. But I don't want to "ruin a perfectly good motorcycle", as one critic of my idea said, and be out $x,000, or more, with nothing to show for it in the end.

What has your experience been selling a Frankenviffer?

Thanks

Sandy

[Rice]

No personal experience here, but it seems that all the work you do to customize the bike isn't going to increase its value. Probably just the opposite. This seems to be the rule except those rare examples where the bike is simply a work of art.

People who are looking for frankenbikes typically aren't interested in someone else's vision of what the bike should be. Others are not interested in any mods at all.

So, your work will be a labor of love and the best thing to do with it would be to park the bike as a conversation piece.

If you must get rid of it, expect to lose some money.

This is my personal opinion. Your results may vary.

[huntinggunns]

I will use the bike in my avatar as an example. It was a RWB purchased from Lubbock motorsport in Texas. The gentleman I bought it from (original owner) had made a replica movistar bike out of it. Could not sell it for anywhere near what he had in it even though it had only 2,000 miles on it and he had all the orignal parts sitting there for it. I made one of the best deals of my life on that bike.

[YoshiHNS]

Xerox had a terribly hard time selling his bike.

There's a line that should be drawn. If you take a stock bike and toss on a good rear shock and a USD front end, value will probably go up. Not the cost of the parts and labor, but still up.

If you go ahead and redo the plastics, paint job, complete custom job, and so on, value most likely stays the same. Lots of people want those kinds of bikes, but very few are willing to actually pony up the cash and offer fair value.

[The Phantom]

I agree with the comments above.

Mine is still under construction, and it is a total custom - I'm even building my own bodywork with donor panels and a plastic welder. I know that I'd be lucky to get market value for it though, despite hundreds of hours of work, so if it ever was sold I'd refit the original forks and shock to it - the forks in particular have a lot of dollars invested in their purchase and modification, almost as much as what a standard 4th Gen would cost in fact. So no point letting those go 'for free'.

If I were to build a Frankenviffer from scratch, I'd start with one that is already a cosmetic write-off. The exception would be if you managed to score a clean one with very good bodywork for a cheap price - there is a market for good 4th Gen panels and you could almost end up cost neutral before you spent a cent on your replacement hardware.

[vfrcapn]

...after the creator no longer has need for them.

You lost me right there....How would I no longer have a need for it?